At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight rose above the horizon, Calimport finally bid farewell to its perilous night and welcomed a noisy, bustling day.
The slaves who had long been waiting at the docks began hauling cargo beneath the lash of overseers' whips.
As a major city with a permanent population of over two hundred thousand, it received and sent off countless ships from all across Faerun every day.
They brought specialties from thousands of kilometers away, hoping to fetch a good price in this most prosperous port of the southwestern seas.
Then, on their return voyage, they loaded up on distinctive local goods such as spices, scimitars, chainmail, books, pearls, silk, and minor magical items, bringing them home for hefty profits.
Of course, aside from ordinary cargo, some ships also carried great numbers of living things.
For example, all manner of rare beasts and slaves of different races.
As one of the few nations that still practiced slavery, Calimshan's nobles and wealthy merchants had such an immense demand for slaves that adventurers, mercenaries, unscrupulous merchants, and gang members from regions where slavery was prohibited were willing to take the risk.
After all, capturing slaves was a business with no upfront cost.
All they had to do was deceive, abduct, or kidnap people onto ships, transport them to places in Calimport specifically responsible for training slaves, tame them for a while, and then sell them at high prices in the market.
Calimshan's nobles and wealthy merchants even regarded the number of slaves they owned as a symbol of power and status.
A slave owner with vast farmlands and estates outside the city near the Calim River might possess several thousand slaves of various races.
In addition, the arenas also required large numbers of slave fighters for brutal gladiatorial